Explore UAB

Colleges & Schools

Primary Care Provider Resource for Traumatic Brain Injury Heersink School of Medicine

Substance Use - Complications for Recovery

There are multiple potential complications and consequences of substance use following TBI. Among the most common are:
  • Substance use is associated with a higher likelihood of remaining unemployed and requiring unemployment benefits1.
  • It is also linked to higher rates of negative behavioral outcomes such as aggression, arrest, and suicide attempts1.
  • Substance use may also raise the risk of medical complications such as seizures.
  • Substance use is related to increased length of inpatient stay, increased severity and duration of agitated behaviors, poorer cognitive functioning, and lower medical adherence1.
  • Those who engage in substance use post-injury report lower levels of social interaction and diminished quality of life compared to those who are abstinent post-injury.
  • They are also at higher risk of arrest2.

References
  1. Kelly, M., Johnson, C., Knoller, N., Drubach, D., & M Winslow (1997). Substance abuse, traumatic brain injury and neuropsychological outcome, Brain Injury, 11, 391–402.
  2. Bogner, J., Corrigan, J., Mysiw, W., Clinchot, D., & L. Fugate (2001). A comparison of substance abuse and violence in the prediction of long-term rehabilitation outcomes after traumatic brain injury. Archives of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, 82, 5, 571-577.

 

800-UAB-MIST

24-hour hotline for physicians to consult with a UAB specialist

The University of Alabama at Birmingham Traumatic Brain Injury Model System provides this website as an auxiliary resource for the primary care of patients with spinal cord injury.The contents of this website were developed under a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR grant number 90DPTB0029). NIDILRR is a Center within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The contents of this website do not necessarily represent the policy of NIDILRR, ACL, HHS, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.

NIDILRR Logo